Jay Taft: Alex Legion to bring Illini outside presence

Kentucky guard Alex Legion will reportedly transfer to Illinois, and he expects to play second semester next year. Merry Christmas, coach Bruce Weber.

Jay Taft

Kentucky guard Alex Legion will reportedly transfer to Illinois, and he expects to play second semester next year.

Merry Christmas, coach Bruce Weber.

Under NCAA rules, Weber and assistant Jerrance Howard, whom Legion cited as a reason for picking Illinois, can’t comment until Legion is enrolled for the second semester in January. But Legion told the Chicago Tribune: “I’ve found the right fit. It was my decision. Now I can settle down.”

One of the top-10 recruited shooting guards in the country last year, Legion backed out of a commitment to Michigan twice, the last time after coach Tommy Amaker was fired.
But now that he’s decided on Illinois, he’s sure to provide a well-needed outside touch for an Illini team greatly in need.

Legion is expected to be joined in the backcourt by Quinton Watkins of Compton, Calif. — a freshman who was academically ineligible this season — and Jamar Smith — sitting out after last year’s infamous car wreck.

He will have a little more than 21/2 years of eligibility. He used up his freshman year this season at Kentucky, where he played in six games, starting two. He averaged 6.7 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 17.5 minutes per game.

Is it ‘all about the kids?’

I’ve always respected coach Rich Rodriguez for his honesty and what seemed to be a genuine caring for his players, although I have wavered on that stance lately.

Rodriguez departed West Virginia, rather quickly last week, to take the head coaching vacancy at Michigan. Since then, the backlash coming out of Morgantown, W.Va., has been torrid.

It’s true that Rodriguez had talked of a long-term commitment to the Mountaineers after balking at the Alabama job in 2006, and he reportedly attempted to maneuver his way out of a buyout clause in his contract by getting himself fired. But although he let his players down by leaving them before the team’s upcoming bowl game, Rodriguez cannot be blamed for chasing his dream.

At least he’s not one of those that slipped out of town in the middle of the night.
“I hope when this all blows over,” he said last week on the Dan Patrick radio show, “everybody in Morgantown will look at what I’ve done here as a whole, and not just what has transpired over the past couple of weeks.”

Carroll’s Berg honored

Carroll College sophomore defensive back Michael Berg (Harlem) was one of 379 Midwest Conference athletes recognized from eight league sports on the 2007 academic all-Conference team.

Student-athletes who hold a cumulative 3.2 grade point average or better and letter in any of the MWC’s fall sports are eligible.

Berg, a sophomore defensive back, had four tackles and a pass defense during the team’s 5-5 season.

Catching up

Freshman midfielder Sidney Rangel (Boylan) was a letter winner on the Dubuque women’s soccer team in 2007. She finished tied for ninth in the Iowa Conference with 29 assists per game as the Spartans qualified for their sixth IIAC conference tournament and ended the season with a 13-5-2 overall mark.

Brad Holm (Byron), a four-time state qualifier and All-American in high school, made Michigan men’s swim team as a walk-on. Holm was still working his way into the lineup at the holiday break.

Jay Taft’s Quick Shots on college sports appears Thursdays. He can be reached at 815-987-1384 or jtaft@rrstar.com.